Vegetarians or Vegans Choices In The USA – Part 03

1)      Red Robin:

• Salads and Fruits
• BOCA Original Vegan Burger
• Red Robinetti Spaghetti
• Rice. Ask to them to prepare it without any meat
• Steamed Veggies
• Whole grain buns.

2)      Olive Garden:

• Green Salads.
• Steamed Veggies
• Pasta and Noodles. They have many varieties.

3)      Cracker Barrel:

• Baked potatoes
• Corn, carrots, and fried apples. But it tasted crap. You would probably add salt and pepper to make it little better.
• Pancakes with maple syrup, French toast, grilled cheese. All three contains egg in it.

4)      Any Chinese Restaurants:

• Baked potatoes
• Noodles. Ask to them to prepare it without any meat
• Fried Rice. May contain egg.
• Fried vegetables.

5)      Any Mexican Restaurants:  Make sure beans are prepared without any meat or lard (pig fat).

• Tortilla chips and salsa. Nachos and cheese.
• Bean burritos
• Rice and beans.
• Vegetable quesadillas or enchiladas.
• Veggie fajitas

 

See below posts for more choices:

Subway, Burger King, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Danny’s

Pizzahut, Domino’s, Sbarro, Panera Bread, Ruby’s Tuesday,  Applebee’s, Chili’s

What Vegetarians or Vegans Eats In The USA?

If you are an Indian and vegetarian then you don’t have much choice when you go out for dinner or lunch. Yes, you will find Indian restaurant in every major town. But, they aren’t cheap. And you can not eat that food every day. I have seen most of Indian restaurant offers very few vegetarian dishes compare to non-veg.

Now, like me, stuck in small town, where nearest Indian restaurant is 50 miles/80 km away can’t go to Indian restaurant when you want to eat out.

So, you have to turn to American restaurants. You should be able to breathe all kind of non-veg food smell while you are there.  When I first entered Taco-Bell, I came out in 5 minutes without taking anything. It smelled horrible. But, you would be used to it if you can’t stay hungry.

Now, it is big task to find something eatable for a vegetarian. And if you are vegan then you are in big trouble. It would be very difficult to find something without animal product in it. Most difficult for Indians like us would be the taste of the food.  All steamed vegetable would be plain steamed and mostly without salt or any spices. It wouldn’t be tasty. It the USA, spices means salt and pepper. Any food you will get wouldn’t satisfy your spice need. But, after sometime you will develop a taste of that kind of food.

So, based on my experience, I decided to help those who are in dilemma what to eat in American restaurants. I have prepared list of some fast food chain or restaurants where I have been. See below

Whenever I have doubt I’ll ask them and before ordering I’ll make sure it doesn’t have any kind of meat or fish. Yes, sometime fish is vegetarian food for them. Most of them are very polite and would help you find out something you can eat. Don’t hesitate to ask.

You can always ask them to cook your dish separately then normal cooking plate, griddle or grill. Normally, they would cook where they are cooking meat dishes.

Here is the long list of restaurants which you can try.

1) Subway, Burger King, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Danny’s

2) Pizzahut, Domino’s, Sbarro, Panera Bread, Ruby’s Tuesday,  Applebee’s, Chili’s

3) Red Robin, Olive Garden, Cracker Barrel, Chinese, Mexican

Do you have any suggestions or thoughts?

Vegetarians or Vegans Choices In The USA – Part 02

1)      Pizzahut, Domino’s, , Sbarro:  or any other pizza outlet. There are thousands of them.

• They have veggie lover pizza which you can order directly.
• But, I would prefer make to order pizza in which you have full flexibility what to include.
• Bread sticks or garlic bread.
• Pasta without any meat.

2)      Panera Bread: All most all breads are vegetarian.

• Sourdough Bread, Ciabatta Bread, Nine Grain Loaf, Rye Loaf, Artisan Three Seed Bread, Artisan Sesame Semolina Bread
• Bagels in many varieties.
• Other variety breads like Artisan, Rye, etc
• Mediterranean Veggie

3)      Ruby’s Tuesday:

• Veggie Burger and Burger wrap
• Salad bar

4)       Applebee’s

• Salad
• Pasta. Ask to them to make it without any meat
• Sizzling Vegetable Skillet, Steamed Vegetable Plate, Nachos
• Many types of sandwich. Ask to them to make it without any meat
• Veggie patch pizza

5)      Chili’s:

• Chips and Salsa
• Veggie Quesadilla.
• Cadillac Fajitas. Ask to them to prepare it without any meat
• Bottomless Tostada Chips.
• Steamed Veggies.

 

See below posts for more choices:

Subway, Burger King, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Danny’s

Red Robin, Olive Garden, Cracker Barrel, Chinese, Mexican

Vegetarians or Vegans Choices In The USA – Part 01

1)      Subway: This would be my first choice for quick bite. They have quite a bit what you can eat.  And even you can ask for fresh knife to cut your sandwich.

• Veggie-Delight: A sub style sandwich with all kind of vegetables. You can put any cheese and put vegetables of your choice. Be careful selecting your dressing on subway. I don’t like dressing much but sometime will go for sweet onion. Mayonnaise does have egg in it.
• Veggie – Patty: It might not be listed on the menu, but they would have that. It is same like veggie delight but with soy patty. Patty contains egg.
• Cheese pizza:  They can make pizza with your choice of vegetable toppings. Their pizza isn’t that good.
• Salad: Be careful. Salad isn’t always vegetarian. But you can ask for salad without meat. Almost all salad dressing contains egg whites in it.

2)      Burger King:

• Veggie Burger: A burger with veggie patty. Again patty is more like cutlet. The patty contains egg. Ask if you would put onion while ordering. I have seen even onion is part of veggie burger in menu they always forgets it.
• If you don’t want patty, then you can ask without patty and add more vegetable. They will give you strange look.
• French fries.

3)      McDonald’s:

• I haven’t found anything you can satisfy with readily available in their menu. But they can make you anything for you without meat or way you like
• They have salads, but, as usual, be careful of dressing.
• You can ask if you can order anything from breakfast menu. If yes then you could order bagels, muffins, etc.
• French fries.

4)      Taco bell:  They have many choices available if you can stand the beef smell.

• Chips and salsa
• Bean Burrito, Fresco Bean Burrito
• Mexican pizza, Chalupa, Taco, Taco Salad and Crunch wrap with beans. Please specify no meat.

5)      Wendy’s:

• Nothing much but you can find something to eat similar to McDonald’s.
• Plain Baked Potato, French Fries, Deluxe Garden Salad

6)      Danny’s:

• Oatmeal Fixins (raisins, brown sugar, sliced banana)
• English Muffins
• Fruits
• Baked potato, vegetable plates, seasoned fries.

 

See below posts for more choices:

Pizzahut, Domino’s, Sbarro, Panera Bread, Ruby’s Tuesday,  Applebee’s, Chili’s

Red Robin, Olive Garden, Cracker Barrel, Chinese, Mexican

Are we independent?

Image Source: Rediff.com

How can we say when we are independent when we have these many people under poverty line? What really independence means?

1) US entire population in 2010: 308 Millions. Source

2) Number of people, in India, who are below poverty line in 2010: 300 Millions. Source. That is almost equal to entire US population.

3) Number of people, in India, who are unemployed approximately in 2010: 300 Millions. That is too almost equal to entire US population.

How would I celebrate independence day when so many people are hungry in my country?

I feel bad when I hear corruption in millions. How in the world you can take bribe or earn in corrupt way when your fellow countrymen is sleeping hungry?  And why they don’t stop even after pocketing millions? How much money you need in your life?

I love India but hate corruption. I love independence but hate poverty.

Debt Crisis – Overrated?

I sometime feel that debt crisis and measures to over come debts are very overrated.

US federal government recently passed law to which will require government to match spending dollar  to dollar the amount they borrow.

I don’t agree with that in current time of economy.  And I feel that currently is the best time to borrow more and to spend on infrastructure and other development projects.  I agree that there are countless programs which needs spending cuts. But this isn’t the way to do that.

Currently, interest rates are very low if not lowest and US government can borrow at much lower rates.

For example, Suppose, If you are the owner of a big company and you are thriving to make a way through bad economy. What you would do?

1) Borrow more at low-interest rate and spend that wisely to improve financial condition of the company.

2) Stop/reduce borrowing. Start spending cuts. Shred new projects. Lay-off employees.

I’ll definitely choose option one. I’ll borrow more and  put my money on the projects which will generate more revenue in future. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay attention on spending. You need to cut spending wherever and whenever needed, but wisely.

There are lots of government projects which needs spending cuts. US is spending way too much in trying to become global police. Iraq, Afghanistan and other wars are costing too much to tax payers.

Check this out:

• Defense budget of US for the year 2010: $698 billion, which 4.7% of 2009 GDP.
• Defense budget of India for the year 2010: $36 billion, which 1.8% of 2009 GDP.
• Defense budget of Pakistan for the year 2010: $6.4 billion, which 2.8% of 2009 GDP.
• Defense budget of China for the year 2010: $114 billion, which 2.2% of 2009 GDP.
• Total budget of India for the year 2011: $273.4 billion

Nokia – ye tumne kya kiya??

I’m really disappointed by the approach Nokia is taking towards USA market and product strategies.

  1) Nokia N9 not coming to US and UK.

I was eagerly waiting for their MeeGo powered cell phone. I like the hand set design and OS features.  I always like something more developer friendly and open. You lost one customer dear Nokia.

2) Nokia to Ditch Symbian, Feature Phones in the U.S.

Why? We have enough WP 7 phone choice available. We want your Symbian OS too. What will happen to Nokia’s low-cost phones available here? like C series. Your E7 is one of the kind phone I’ll choose over my POP TART blackberry.

3) Nokia N9 axed from Germany.

Do one thing. Axed complete N9 project. Why to quit one by one territories?

I’m not sure in which direction my Finnish friends are going? The great Finnish company going to finish?

Why you need to care that much about US market? You were and are number one in many other markets.   You were number one smartphone maker till very recent past. I think you might have lost your focus and trying to swim in not so tested water (WP 7).

It would be sad if you die.

Gujarat in USA

It is always true that where ever Gujarati lives you will see Gujarat (or thepala) .

But, here I’m talking something different.  Gujarat is considered as dry state(?? come on at least technically). And you would never think that any part of USA would be dry. You are partially wrong.

In USA, there are 100+ dry counties. The county is a like district in India. The county or local government has power to prohibit alcohol sell in the county.  And that would decided by county resident whether to ban it or not.  There are also many dry towns or cities. That means even city resident can pass a resolution to ban alcohol sell.  Alcohol and Tobacco product are only sold to 18+ person and it is strictly followed every where in USA.

USA map displaying dry communities. Source: Wikipedia

But the twist in the story is, it is just limited to sell of alcohol not consumption of it. You can buy from wet county and consume it in dry county. Isn’t it interesting??

See below Wikipedia articles to satisfy your appetite.

What is a dry county?

List of dry communities.

Apple…Apple…Apple

Recently, I came across various Apple Inc related news and stats.

• Apple has a cash reserve of US$75.876-billion. At one point of time it had more cash on hand than US government. Precisely on Jul 28, 2011
• Apple wanted to, it could give $247 to each person in the USA.
• It is the biggest company as of August 10, 2011 surpassing Exxon. They had market capitalization of $337 billion, ahead of oil company Exxon Mobile at $344 billion.
• Since 2003, Apple stocks has gained 4,280%.
• It is the biggest technology company by far.
• Still it doesn’t have AAA rating from S&P(Poor apple). Currently only four US corporation Microsoft, Exxon Mobil, Johnson & Johnson and Automatic Data Processing has AAA.
• Apple can survive 3 years even they do not generate a dime.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any apple stock…

No Where To Hide

No…No…I didn’t commit any crime and wants to hide.

No where to hide from current issues going on the planet earth.  It will affect you where ever you go.

• USA, Japan, Europe and many more – Economy
• India – Corruption,  Inflation
• England – Economy, Riots
• Arab Countries – Political violence
• Almost all countries – Terrorism
• Latin America – Drugs, Mafia

Only one thing looks safe and free of all issue if you can survive – Antarctica.

God bless planet earth.